Key Takeaways
- Lil Poppa died at 25, with his cause of death pending investigation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
- He signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group in 2022 and released Almost Normal Again last August.
- Artists and celebrities including Mozzy, Nardo Wick, and Lil Duval shared tributes online following news of his passing.
Hip Hop is grieving following the death of Lil Poppa. On Wednesday (Feb. 18), news spread that the Florida rapper had passed away at the age of 25.
According to People, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced the “Eternal Living” artist, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, deceased at 11:23 a.m. ET. “His manner and cause of death are pending investigation,” senior medical examiner investigator Brian Jost Reents wrote in an email.
Just last Friday (Feb. 13), Poppa released his latest single, “Out Of Town Bae.” He was also scheduled to perform next month at his Birthday Bash concert in New Orleans.
Hip Hop and fans pay tribute to Lil Poppa online
At the time of reporting, few details have been released about Poppa’s death. In the meantime, collaborators, fans, and fellow artists have taken to social media to honor him. Mozzy, who teamed up with the Blessed, I Guess rapper on tracks like “Pain All Gone” and “No More,” shared a photo of Poppa on his Instagram Stories with the caption, “Damn, Pop,” followed by a heartbroken emoji.
Nardo Wick wrote, “Rest up, Poppa,” on his Stories. Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, who served as Poppa’s A&R early in his career, posted on X, “My little brother is gone, Poppa. I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed four of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”
Also on the platform, Rob49 tweeted, “Dat Poppa S**t Ain’t Sittin’ Right Wit Me.” Meanwhile, Lil Duval shared a clip of Poppa discussing how their 2022 collaboration, “Kickin The Clouds,” came together during an appearance on “On The Radar.” He captioned the post, “This one really hurt me ‘cuz I really cared about Lil Poppa. Most of us in Jacksonville knew him since he was a kid. And we all wanted him to win.”
Gone too soon: Hip Hop faces another devastating loss
Poppa’s death is undoubtedly a major loss for Hip Hop. The rapper signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group in 2022. Last August, he dropped Almost Normal Again. The 16-song effort boasted appearances from Yungeen Ace, Seddy Hendrinx, and EELmatic, among others.
REVOLT sends its heartfelt condolences to Poppa’s family and those closest to him.